Asian Stocks Rally as Tech Rebounds, China Lags on Nvidia Competition Concerns 
U.S. Open to Special Trade Terms for South Africa Under Possible AGOA Extension 
Gold Prices Dip as Markets Absorb Dovish Fed Outlook; Silver Eases After Record High 
Modi and Trump Hold Phone Call as India Seeks Relief From U.S. Tariffs Over Russian Oil Trade 
Oil Prices Edge Higher as U.S. Seizes Sanctioned Venezuelan Tanker 
Silver Prices Surge to New Record Above $60 as Supply Concerns and Fed Expectations Boost Demand 
ADB Approves $400 Million Loan to Boost Ease of Doing Business in the Philippines 
Fed’s Dovish Tone Sends Dollar Lower as Markets Price In More Rate Cuts 
Oil Prices Dip as Markets Watch Ukraine Peace Talks and U.S. Rate Decision 
Asian Currencies Steady as Fed Delivers Hawkish Rate Cut; Aussie and Rupee Under Pressure 
Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Traders Await Fed Decision; Aussie Dollar Edges Higher 
U.S.-Indonesia Trade Deal Faces Uncertainty as Jakarta Reconsiders Key Commitments 
Australia’s Labour Market Weakens as November Employment Drops Sharply 
Hong Kong Cuts Base Rate as HKMA Follows U.S. Federal Reserve Move 
Wall Street Futures Slip as Oracle Earnings Miss Reignites AI Spending Concerns 
Brazil Holds Selic Rate at 15% as Inflation Expectations Stay Elevated 
Stocks Slip as Investors Brace for Fed Decision and JPMorgan Warning Weighs on Markets 
U.S. stock futures edged lower on Thursday evening as renewed pressure on technology and artificial intelligence stocks overshadowed optimism surrounding a more accommodative Federal Reserve. The pullback was driven largely by a sharp decline in Broadcom shares, which fell in after-hours trading despite posting strong quarterly earnings, raising fresh concerns about the sustainability of the AI-led rally.
Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) dropped as much as 5% after the chipmaker warned that its higher-margin, non-AI businesses could see muted performance in the current quarter. Investors were also unsettled by the company’s comments that a major data center deal linked to OpenAI is unlikely to generate meaningful returns until at least 2027. While Broadcom exceeded expectations for fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and issued an above-consensus revenue forecast, the cautious outlook was enough to trigger profit-taking after the stock’s roughly 75% surge so far in 2025. The company did highlight a sizable AI-related order backlog of $73 billion over the next 18 months, but concerns lingered about customer concentration and the possibility of major clients developing in-house AI chips.
Weakness in Broadcom followed a steep selloff in Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), which plunged more than 10% during Thursday’s regular session. Although Oracle delivered solid earnings, investor skepticism over its exposure to OpenAI and the reliability of its future AI-driven cloud orders weighed heavily on sentiment, dragging down the broader tech sector.
By 19:29 ET, S&P 500 Futures slipped nearly 0.1% to 6,903.75 points, Nasdaq 100 Futures fell 0.2% to 25,671.25 points, and Dow Jones Futures bucked the trend, rising 0.1% to 48,799.0 points. Earlier in the day, Wall Street closed mostly higher, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average reaching record highs, supported by gains in non-tech stocks.
Investor confidence was bolstered by the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates by 25 basis points and signal a less hawkish policy stance. Fed Chair Jerome Powell also announced an immediate resumption of asset purchases, with the central bank set to buy $40 billion in Treasury bills per month. The move is expected to inject additional liquidity into financial markets, potentially supporting risk assets in the months ahead, even as near-term volatility persists in the tech and AI sectors.
